Hydraulic Strategy of Cactus Trichome for Absorption and Storage of Water under Arid Environment

Being an essential component in various metabolic activities, water is important for the survival of plants and animals. Cacti grown in arid areas have developed intrinsic water management systems, such as water collection through spines, water absorption through trichome, and water storage using mucilage. The water collection method of cactus is well-documented, but its water absorption and storage strategies remain to be elucidated. Thus, this study analyzed the morphology and wettability of cactus trichomes by using advanced bio-imaging techniques and by performing in vitro experiments on an artificial system mimicking these structures, respectively. In addition, the in situ water absorption process through the trichome cluster was quantitatively visualized. This paper proposes a new bio-inspired technique for dew collection based on information about the water management strategies of cactus. This study discusses the underlying water absorption and storage strategies of cactus and provides the experimental database required to develop a biomimetic water management device.114Ysciescopu

Novel water filtration of saline water in the outermost layer of mangrove roots

The scarcity of fresh water is a global challenge faced at present. Several desalination methods have been suggested to secure fresh water from sea water. However, conventional methods suffer from technical limitations, such as high power consumption, expensive operating costs, and limited system durability. In this study, we examined the feasibility of using halophytes as a novel technology of desalinating high-concentration saline water for long periods. This study investigated the biophysical characteristics of sea water filtration in the roots of the mangrove Rhizophora stylosa from a plant hydrodynamic point of view. R. stylosa can grow even in saline water, and the salt level in its roots is regulated within a certain threshold value through filtration. The root possesses a hierarchical, triple layered pore structure in the epidermis, and most Na+ ions are filtered at the first sublayer of the outermost layer. The high blockage of Na+ ions is attributed to the high surface zeta potential of the first layer. The second layer, which is composed of macroporous structures, also facilitates Na+ ion filtration. This study provides insights into the mechanism underlying water filtration through halophyte roots and serves as a basis for the development of a novel bio-inspired desalination method.Creative Research Initiative (Diagnosis of Biofluid Flow Phenomena and Biomimic Research) of the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) , National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea , ICT R&D program of MSIP/IITP (Korea

Study on a model of street vended food choices by Korean high school students

Street vended food (SVF) includes food and beverages prepared and sold outdoors or in public areas by street merchants for consumption on the scene or later without further preparation. Due to its low price and convenience, SVF has been popular in Korea for a long time, particularly with high school students. Beyond Korea, SVF is also popular in southeast Asia and southern Africa in the form of ready-to-eat food. This study on high school students, who are main consumers of SVF in Korea, focused on the factors that affect consumer loyalty. The study was performed by questionnaire and used AMOS software to develop a structural equation model. The results of verifying the model's fidelity were χ2 = 685.989, df = 261, GFI = 0.851, AGFI = 0.814, NFI = 0.901, CFI = 0.907, RMR = 0.048, indicating a satisfying structural model. SVF quality and service, emotional response, and the physical environment had a statistically significant effect on consumer loyalty. In contrast, SVF sanitation had no statistically significant effect on consumer loyalty. Based on these results, the sanitary management of SVF needs to be addressed immediately combined with education for SVF providers to maintain a clean environment

STAT1 and Nmi are downstream targets of Ets-1 transcription factor in MCF-7 human breast cancer cell

AbstractEts-1 is a cellular homologue of the product of the viral ets oncogene of the E26 virus, and it functions as a tissue-specific transcription factor. It plays an important role in cell proliferation, differentiation, lymphoid cell development, transformation, angiogenesis, and apoptosis. Ets-1 controls the expression of critical genes involved in these processes by binding to ets binding sites present in the transcriptional regulatory regions. Here, we transiently overexpressed Ets-1 in MCF-7 and comprehensively searched for potential downstream targets of Ets-1 by cDNA microarray analysis. The expressions of several interferon-related genes including STAT1 and Nmi were augmented by the overexpression of Ets-1. RT-PCR and Western blotting confirmed the increase in the levels of STAT1 and Nmi mRNA and protein. In contrast, Ets-1 siRNA decreased the expression of STAT1 and Nmi proteins. As in our transient transfection experiments, stable overexpression of Ets-1, also increased the protein expression of STAT1 and Nmi in MCF-7 cells. Taken together, our results indicate that STAT1 and Nmi are downstream targets of Ets-1 in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells

Common Warming Pattern Emerges Irrespective of Forcing Location

The Earth's climate is changing due to the existence of multiple radiative forcing agents. It is under question whether different forcing agents perturb the global climate in a distinct way. Previous studies have demonstrated the existence of similar climate response patterns in response to aerosol and greenhouse gas (GHG) forcings. In this study, the sensitivity of tropospheric temperature response patterns to surface heating distributions is assessed by forcing an atmospheric general circulation model coupled to an aquaplanet slab ocean with a wide range of possible forcing patterns. We show that a common climate pattern emerges in response to localized forcing at different locations. This pattern, characterized by enhanced warming in the tropical upper troposphere and the polar lower troposphere, resembles the historical trends from observations and models as well as the future projections. Atmospheric dynamics in combination with thermodynamic air-sea coupling are primarily responsible for shaping this pattern. Identifying this common pattern strengthens our confidence in the projected response to GHG and aerosols in complex climate models

Development of Liquid Capacity Measuring Algorithm Based on Data Integration from Multiple Sensors

This research proposes an algorithm using a process of integrating data from multiple sensors to measure the liquid capacity in real time regardless of the position of the liquid tank. The algorithm for measuring the capacity was created with a complementary filter using a Kalman filter in order to revise the level sensor data and IMU sensor data. The measuring precision of the proposed algorithm was assessed through repetitive experiments by varying the liquid capacity and the rotation angle of the liquid tank. The measurements of the capacity within the liquid tank were precise, even when the liquid tank was rotated. Using the proposed algorithm, one can obtain highly precise measurements, and it is affordable since an existing level sensor is used